Thanks to a stolen cell phone’s tracking app, police were able to track down and detain three young males suspected in a gunpoint robbery near 47th and Springfield on Thursday evening.
Police say that a 40-year-old man was walking in the area at about 6:40 p.m. when he was approached by three young males who put what he believed to be a handgun to the back of his head, told him to not look back and put his hands on top of his head. Then the males took the man’s iPhone, Mac Book Pro laptop, house keys, and a backpack, and told him to run and not look back, according to a police report. The victim ran home and was actively tracking his phone to the area of 51st Street between Pentridge and Florence before it was manually powered off, according to police.
When police officers went to check the area they observed a young male fitting the description of one of the suspects in the rear of the 800 block of S. 51st Street. After the officers announced their presence, the male fled and ran into the rear entrance of one of the buildings on the block. The officers followed the male and recovered a silver Mac Book Pro laptop and an iPhone in the rear of the building. After that the officers entered the building through the open front door and found three young males inside. Inside the residence police recovered a backpack that matched the description of the stolen backpack. Police say they also found a glue gun and several iPhones at the residence.
The three males, ages from 15 to 17 years old, were detained for investigation.
As was reported earlier this week, a woman was robbed by three teens on Tuesday on the 4900 block of Osage Ave. Police did not confirm if these two cases are related. The investigation continues.
January 8th, 2016 at 6:40 pm
you still STINK that’s all i’m going to say.
January 8th, 2016 at 7:08 pm
I’ve grown quite tired of the journalistic habit of calling men and boys “males” in crime reporting. It’s dehumanizing. Were they male piranhas? Male squirrels? Male leopards? Oh, male humans you say? Then please call them men.
January 8th, 2016 at 11:29 pm
Calling them “men” would imply that they are adults, while 15-17 is too old to call them “boys”. “Males” seems like a reasonable compromise.
January 9th, 2016 at 8:19 am
“Teens”, “boys” or even “youths” would all be better.
January 9th, 2016 at 1:26 pm
This is police terminology. The appropriate term is “punks.”
January 12th, 2016 at 6:29 pm
So…of all the things that might concern you about this story, Maggie, that’s what concerns you enough to post. That the perpetrators (lookee, another police term) are dehumanized by the use of the term “male”. Forget the uptick in crime in West Philly – we must be very careful to not potentially hurt a mugger’s feelings by calling him a male. Is that about the gist of it?
I love, love, love the progressive politics of West Philly residents, but you guys really take things too far sometimes.
January 12th, 2016 at 6:42 pm
I can think of another term, but no on seems to talk about that.
January 12th, 2016 at 9:14 pm
uh, WHAT?^^……………………………….
January 17th, 2016 at 3:03 pm
One would have to suspect something racist, I’m afraid.